Tuesday, March 26, 2013

The final push! The plumber came yesterday to hook up the appliances and last night we christened our kitchen by making our first meal in it (well not entirely true....on Sunday we used our convection oven to cook english muffin pizzas since that was hooked up and working). Minor detail! I sat at the peninsula sipping some wine while Jim cooked us dinner. It was great! I still look around at the kitchen and can't believe we actually pulled the trigger and got it done.

Our sink and disposal are hooked up and working so we can FINALLY say good bye to washing dishes in the upstairs bathroom. That really was the worst part of the whole living through a kitchen renovation. So it's SO nice to have a working faucet, sink and disposal back! And isn't that faucet a piece of art?!?! I am so so so happy with it. It's not nearly as tall as we feared it would be and gives the countriness of the farmhouse sink a slight edge with the industrial looking faucet. And it's fun using the hand sprayer and the pot filler. Never a bad thing to have options. And the farmhouse sink?!?! It's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. It's so big I think I could give Jim a sponge bath in it! It's seriously great.

I couldn't for the life of me get a good picture of the refrigerator with it's blinged out grill finally installed. Poor lighting last night. But at least you can get an idea of what it looks like since all the previous pictures had that silly gap above it.

And the rest of the bead board beneath the pass through was installed. Sadly, there are no room for corbels underneath :( I guess I'll learn to manage without them....some how.

I think the bead board in both "windows" ties them nicely together and makes them look like they were always like that.

And because we're cheap skates we decided to paint ourselves. We painted the old kitchen ourselves which wasn't that bad but this new gal??? What a beast! I'm the resident cutter inner and Jim's the roller. Well there is A LOT of trim in the new kitchen! Bad for me, great for Jim! But Jim was a gentlemen and helped a girl out...whata guy!!!

But we are done! And we're so happy with our choice of color...Wedgewood Grey by Benjamin Moore. It has hints of blue, grey and green depending on what light you look at it in. Gives this neutral kitchen some life.

We painted the trim the same colors as the walls and I'm so glad we went with this idea because I think the trim blends in with wall as opposed to popping out and becoming the main attraction which is what I did not want.

It makes the grey in the cabinets really pronounced now. You may be thinking man are they lazy or what?! They didn't even paint all the way to the counter tops! We're not that lazy! The back splash tile will cover this so we didn't want to waste time or paint by painting all the way down to the counter tops.

Painting near the chimney was a beast of a job but I don't think we did half bad if I do say so myself!

And the pendants still pop against the color.

You will notice we didn't paint up towards the ceiling in the old hallway. We plan on adding the same crown moulding that Mike put up in the kitchen in this area. We still have the trim and the bead board to paint but we're taking our time on it and painting when we have free time. Oh and that black paint on the door is actually magnetic paint. Since our fridge can't hold magnets due to it being stainless steel whats a girl to do when she wants to hang something up? Well I had read up on this magnetic paint and wanted to try it out, so this was the perfect opportunity. It's just a primer so we plan on painting over it with white latex paint (as long as you put latex paint over it, you can use any color). I'll let you know if it really works.

And finally the extenders for the laundry nook faucet were changed from brass to shiny chrome. Ahhhh much better!

And here are my men working it in the new kitchen. Aren't they so cute???

Our first meal made from the new kitchen....pork milanese with a side of roasted asparagus and pan fried potatoes. Oh yum! Not too bad for a 10:30 PM dinner.

I think we're gunna love this new kitchen of ours. Back splash tile gets installed today! DAHHH! The anticipation of it all!

Monday, March 25, 2013

Bar stools are a necessary thing if your kitchen has a peninsula or island. I never really paid much attention to them because we never had a kitchen that warranted them. We always had an eat in kitchen that had room for a table and chairs. When I started researching bar stools, I couldn't believe my eyes at the prices of them at places like Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Overstock and even Target. When in doubt and can't find something I can afford and like, reupholstering is always my answer. So I went on the hunt looking for super cheap bar stools that I could reupholster. After months of searching, I stumbled up faux leather bar stools for a steal from Joss & Main. I quickly purchased them and so began my hunt for fabric. I knew I wanted an indoor/outdoor fabric for easy clean up and I knew I wanted them piped in a fun color. I was able to find the indoor/outdoor fabric online in a fun teal geometric print and the pink corduroy fabric for the piping I found at a local fabric store for a song.

Below is the BEFORE picture of the bar stool. (sorry bad blogger and forgot to take a picture with my camera so you get a picture straight from the website)

And now for the big AFTER reveal!

You've come a looooooooong way my friend! I just LOOOOOVE them. They came out better than I pictured in my head. The pink piping adds that unexpected pop of fun color. And they will tie in the colors of the roman shade that will be going up shortly on the window looking out to the back yard.

And here are all four of them at the peninsula just waiting for a good time to be had.

I may or may not paint the legs. It will depend on how the they look once the floors are stained a nice medium barn wood brown. But for now I have a serious case of permagrin whenever I catch a glimpse of them.

Big things happened this weekend in terms of paint. Come back tomorrow to see what was going on in Casa Horne!

Saturday, March 23, 2013

The granite is in! The granite is in!!!! And we couldn't be happier!!!!!!!!! It makes it feel like a real honest to goodness kitchen!!! Did I mention I love it??? Oh and yes, the oven door is back on and it is ready to be used. Ahhh doesn't the granite make it look so finished? You may notice that the trim needs to be put back on the pass through. The granite installers had to take it off in order to put the granite in on that side. You can see it extends through the pass through and into Lady Land slightly. That feature is going to come in handy come grilling weather (well that is whenever mother nature decides to stop tormenting us with all this snow!!!!!)

And the peninsula. You may also notice the tappen yaki grill has been installed. Well it's in place but not hooked up yet.

Close up of the overhang, which is about a 12" overhang. We went with a really simple straight edge profile. Clean and classic and no up charge for a fancy cut. Bonus!

And the "hutch" area. Ahhhh I love it so! So glad we decided to put a piece of granite on top of the apothecary drawers. I think it makes that area look like a separate piece of furniture but yet it's not.

Close up of the apothecary drawers.

The range area. We now actually have a place to put a spatula instead of our old range that was hanging all by it's lonesome with no counters on either side of it.

The installers did a great job of getting super close to the chimney.

And the sink area. I love how the counter goes over the sink making for easy squeezey clean up. Just brush the crumbs off the counter and right into the sink.

Our experience with the granite had it's ups and downs but overall we are so happy with it. My friend recommended going to see the slab in person and having them draw the outline of the space right on the slab and I am so thankful for that suggestion. We were able to capture the part of the stone we loved the most, which was the grey veining. I highly recommend doing this if you have the opportunity.

By Monday we should have a usable kitchen! So crazy to think how far we've come in such a short amount of time.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Man did we have a hard time with this. Or I should say I had a hard time with this. I knew what I wanted but I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. Jim put it perfectly..."you want a tile that does not exist!". But I wasn't giving up hope. I knew I wanted a solid color throughout, shiny and unique. That doesn't seem hard to find right? HA! Think again my friends.

We went to many-a tile shops on our weekend 'burbs trips. I was in complete sticker shock! I couldn't believe my eyes with the prices per square feet these places were asking! It was insane! So add to the prices and not being able to find what we were looking = many a depressing trips. But we kept pressing on. I had read about a place called The Tile Shop that offered affordable but great looking tile. As luck would have it, they just opened up two shops in Massachusetts, one being less than 20 minutes from us. It was fate I tell you!

The shop itself is awesome. Tons of displays of actual kitchens and bathroom which was helpful since you could visualize what the tile would look like installed and they really cater to DIYers, which you know I love.

So what did we end up getting? What was the tile that was like a chupacabra or sasquatch?? We went with the penny round tile in moss (it reads green for some reason on the computer screen but is more of a greyish blue in person).

We will be using an unsanded dove grey grout (also from The Tile Shop).

And to cap off the top of the penny rounds to give it a finished look, we will be using a 3/8" pencil marble tile (also from The Tile Shop).

We decided to forgo the traditional 4" granite back splash in favor of using the back splash tile 6" up from the counters. Buuuut of course we didn't count on the electrical outlets getting in the way....details schmetails! Sooo it was either go above or below the electrical outlets. We went for below. How'd we figured that out? By the really complicated method of holding up the tile against the wall to see how it looked both ways. The tile is getting installed Tuesday. So check back next week for how this will all look once installed.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Turn out the lights baaaaybaaaay (name that tune!) Actually don't turn out the lights! Turn them ON! Man oh man am I in love! Some of you have asked me if there has been a moment yet during this whole process if I was afraid that our vision wasn't turning out like we thought it would. This was that moment...I was afraid the pendants were going to be too big for the space but thankfully I think they turned out to be the perfect size. They did look ginormous in the box (even Jim thought so) but now that they are installed they look normal. Guess I need to work on my spatial relations.

Below are the teal farmhouse pendants that are hanging over the peninsula. I think they add a nice pop of color in our neutral kitchen. My thinking behind this whole kitchen was to keep the really expensive stuff and the main parts of the kitchen neutral in hopes that it will stay in style for many years to come but yet add in color in areas that are cheaper and easier to replace should we get sick of them. Cue the teal colored lights.

And below is the pendant hanging over the sink. Again another one where I thought it might be too big when it first arrived but now that it's up I love it and the size is just right. Sorry for the hard to see pictures. I didn't take these till really late last night. And I know I need to work on my photography skills and maybe even learn how to use photo shop.

Close up of the farmhouse pendants. Aren't they fun?

Looking towards the powder room. This shot gives you a perspective for about how high up they hang. It's a good distance from the counter to the bottom of the lights. You can still stand up and not have these hit you in the face.

A somewhat better shot on the sink pendant. You may have noticed the light bulb if you're keen observer. If you did, you get a gold star for the day! We purchased what they call vintage light bulbs. They are a unique shape and clear so you can see the filament. I think they give the pendants that extra oomph! You can find them in the light bulb aisle of any home depot or hardware store. They do cost extra just to warn you (Jim may or may not have a small heart attack when he saw the price. So if you go with your significant other to buy these, make them wear a blindfold, supply them food so they are distracted or have them go to another department. You'll thank me later.)

Beauty shot!

The electricians also installed the convection oven. Yes the door is missing, your eyes aren't fooling you. Mike has to come back to put the door back on.

Now the refrigerator has its friend the convection oven to talk to. They're so cute together aren't they? Our refrigerator is up and running now as well. (water dispenser and ice maker to be hooked up on Monday when the plumber comes back out). And the vent hood for the range was also hooked up. And no we haven't picked a color yet. We need to get on that. Bad Hornes!

Our new pantry light. Isn't she priceless??? Don't you just love her??? Just kidding! That's not our real pantry light...it's just a temporary holder until the real light fixture comes in. It's been back ordered for FOUR months. Yes I typed that right and you read that right. Count 'em FOUR months! Ridic! Back ordering has been the name of the game since the kitchen renovation started. Guess the economy can't be that bad right?

And the laundry nook chandie...isn't it sooooo gorg????!?! I love the shadows it cast on the walls. Just makes doing laundry that much more fun.

Side shot for you because I can't get enough.

Tomorrow the granite is getting installed. I think that is going to be a complete game changer and really take the kitchen to another level. Can't wait!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Back again to report on more trim working and finishing touches. The end is in sight and each day the kitchen gets a lil closer to being functional.

Below is a close up beauty shot of the kitchen cabinet drawer pulls. I think they tie in well with the knobs and the apothecary pulls. These look like they should have a label on them but sadly they don't. Although I suppose I could craft something up. Hmmm...me likey this idea. #labelobsessed

The hood is installed! Kinda makes the range look more legit with the big hood on top of it.

And finally the crown moulding on top of the cabinets got installed! Ahhhh the upper cabinets now look complete. LOVE how there's zero space up on top of the cabinets and the moulding gives the appearance of the cabinets being built in. Just that lil finishing touch that makes a huge impact. We have to paint the moulding the color of the cabinets so it will make much more sense and look a thousand times better once that's done. I promise!

More shots of the crown moulding. Heartsies!

Below are the apothecary drawers. Aren't they just so cute???? These suckers can indeed have labels put on them and I can't wait to get started on labeling them. How cute are they going to be?! Like a library card catalog but kitchen edition. They will sit on the granite counter top and then a piece of granite will go on top of the drawers.

Shot with the drawers below. Love this little nook. I'm all about creating stations and nooks in this kitchen. Hoping by creating these we'll be more organized. I'll keep you updated on how that works out. Last night Jim and I started talking about where things will go. We want to really think it through and get it right the first time. I'm sure we'll be tweaking things as we go to better suit our needs. But we want to be more deliberate where things will go as opposed to just throwing things in a cabinet just to get it done and unpacked like we did when we first moved. Having the new kitchen is a great chance to start new again.

Drawers with their fancy new pulls.

Mike had to cut the front of the cabinet bigger to make room for the convection oven.

Updated shot of the peninsula.

Better shot of the range area with its fancy new hood. That range better not get a 'tude now that it's all fancy.

And the pantry with it's new pulls!

Close up. All antiquey brass....Love the look of the brass against the dark gray of the cabinets.

And our "narrowed" down colors for the kitchen. Houston I think we may have a problem. What's your favorite color? Weigh in with your vote! Maybe yours will be the lucky one selected!

Lights are being installed today! Dah!!! Can't wait to get home to see how they look.